The present invention relates generally to body support cushions such as those found in mattresses, pillows, office chairs, household furniture, car seating, theater seating, and the like.
As is generally the case with all body support cushions, but particularly so with mattresses consisting of “memory foam” or other body conforming material, the effectiveness of the cushion in providing body support is partly a function of how well the memory foam responds to the contour of the user resting on the cushion. Body support cushions made from temperature-sensitive viscoelastic material, such as TEMPUR® material that is commercially available from Tempur-Pedic International Inc., for example, are able change shape based in part upon the temperature of the supported body part. This conformance of the cushion to the body, in effect, causes more of the body to be in contact with the body support cushion. Thus, as the cushion cradles the supported body part, more of the body part that is supported by the cushion. Since more of the body is in contact with the cushion, rather than being pushed above it, less of the body that is exposed to ambient air around the cushion. As a consequence, many users find memory foam mattresses and other memory foam cushions to “sleep hot” and, ultimately, choose other types of cushions notwithstanding the supportive benefits often associated with memory foam and similar types of body conforming cushions.
In an effort to attract users with concerns of “sleeping hot” in a memory foam mattress, many mattress manufactures have incorporated so-called “cooler” technologies into their products. For example, many mattresses now come with covers containing latent heat storage units, such as phase change material (PCM), that provide a cool, albeit brief, dermal sensation. One such phase change material is OUTLAST®, which is commercially available from Outlast Technologies, Boulder, Colo. While the use of such PCM does provide some cooling, it is short-lived because in relatively short order the PCM will absorb heat from the supported body part and hold that heat until the supported body part is withdrawn.
Another approach to providing a “cooler” mattress has been in the inclusion of gel or similar material into the construction of the bed. Gel, similar to PCM, has some latent heat properties that provide a momentary dermal sensation of coolness. However, gel, like PCM, can only absorb so much heat before the gel becomes saturated and thus is no longer cool to touch. Further, once the gel is heated, it will hold that heat until the heat source, i.e., body, is removed.
Additional efforts to provide a “cooler” memory foam cushion have included the use of cooling blankets, such as the ChiliPad™ mattress pad from Chili Technology, Mooresville, N.C. Not only to do such blankets add to the overall cost of the cushion, but they can negatively impact the feel of the cushion as well. Moreover, such blankets require a pump to circulate coolant, e.g., water, and thus incorporate electromechanical devices that can fail and render the after-market blanket inoperable.
Based at least in part upon the limitations of existing cooling technologies and the demand from some consumers for a cooler memory foam body support cushion, new body support cushions are welcome additions to the art.